ATLANTIC YARDS

The LocalLocals can join Norman Oder this Sunday for a walking tour of the Atlantic Yards project site, home of the Barclays Center.

Good morning, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

You know the weather is getting really nice when you can start filling your weekend schedule with walking tours and block parties. For locals who love learning and partying, the next few days will be filled with educational walks around the hood, fun parties with great music and even a touch of the divine.

Clinton Hill isn’t just a neighborhood where history is made — it’s a nabe where history still stands. From the 1840′s to the 1930′s, the area now known as Clinton Hill saw a boom in residential development, which resulted in the neighborhood becoming the veritable gallery of historic architecture it is today. This Sunday between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. is your chance to take a walking tour and see these monuments to Brooklyn’s past. Alexandra Kustow, from The Municipal Art Society of New York, will host the walk, which begins outside 145 Vanderbilt Avenue and ends at the Hill Cafe on 17 Putnam Avenue.

This Saturday, locals can worship, hear some great tunes and help out a local church all at once. Now that’s a holy trinity. At 5 p.m., you can join the Bethel Seventh Day Adventist Church at 457 Grand Avenue for a concert that will have you feeling the holy spirit by the end. All proceeds from the concert will go towards the restoration of the church.

There might be more than six months before Election Day 2013 arrives, but locals looking to get an early jump on the crowded field of New York City mayoral candidates are invited to attend the Brooklyn Civics 2013 Mayoral Forum from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on May 6 at Congregation Beth Elohim at 274 Garfield Place and 8th Avenue.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music will show three special screenings today of The Buddy Holly Story – the classic 1978 biopic starring Gary Busey — as part of the BAM Cinématek series for classic films, premiers, festivals and retrospectives. Locals can swing by the Peter Jay Sharp Building at BAM Rose Cinemas at 4:30, 7:30 or 9 p.m. General admission is $13 and $9 for students and seniors.

Locals interested in making the nabe a healthier place should look no further. The Greene Hill Food Co-op is inviting members — as well as local guests — to conduct 30 to 60 minute presentations on food-related topics of their choice. Whether you want to discuss food injustice, gardening or tips for shopping wisely, the food cooperative at 18 Putnam Avenue in Clinton Hill wants to hear from you. E-mail events@greenehillfood.coop if you’re interested in presenting or know someone who should. Check out Greene Hill’s Facebook page for more information.

In case you aren’t watching the NBA playoffs, the Brooklyn Nets kept the season alive with a thrilling 110-91 rout of the Chicago Bulls last night in front of a packed house at the Barclays Center. With just one more Nets win, the neighborhood will play host to Game 7 at Barclays on Saturday at 1 p.m., marking the first such postseason game played in Brooklyn since the Dodgers lost to the Yankees in Game 7 the 1956 World Series at Ebbets Field. Get your tickets online before they sell out, locals.

Peter MoskowitzPeople walk past a sign drawn onto the Ingersoll Community Center, in the Ingersoll Houses.

Good morning, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

Living in New York City, you’ve undoubtedly dealt with massive crowds just about everywhere you go. Today’s news proves that. On the up side, the weather might be nice enough today to escape the crowds in Fort Greene Park.

A reader turned us on to an article in The New York Times, examining how New York parents are constantly waiting to get their kids into a handful of good schools, camps and child care. But our reader thinks this waiting game is just a new form of elitism. What do you think, locals?

Peter MoskowitzThree white railings on brownstones are eye-catching on this street in Clinton Hill.

Good morning, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

As any Fort Greene or Clinton Hill resident probably already knows, it’s hard to not talk about the “new Brooklyn” and “old Brooklyn” when you talk about, well, anything in the borough. Today’s links prove that point.

Brooklyn politicians, including Fort Greene and Clinton Hill New York City Council Member Letitia James, are calling on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to add free transfers at some stations along the G subway line and prevent service cuts. The Village Voice points out that the G has enabled gentrification in many Brooklyn neighborhoods, arguing that the line is an economic engine in danger of stalling if the MTA doesn’t give it much needed upgrades.

Class divide has been at the forefront of politics this year, and nowhere is it more present than in New York City. Brownstoner writes that many Brooklyn neighborhoods have an ever-growing chasm between the rich and poor, according to a Pew Research Center study. Fort Greene and Clinton Hill actually appear to be more economically mixed than other places – they don’t make the top 10 list for New York City neighborhoods with the most residents working at “creative jobs”, which make an average $85,000 a year, according to the study. However, the Clinton Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods make the top ten list for most residents with “service jobs”, which make an average of $35,000 a year, the study found.

Forest City Ratner broke ground this week on the B2 residential tower at the Atlantic Yards, the New York Post reported. The 32-story development, expected to be the world’s largest modular building, will be constructed using pre-fabricated, steel frame boxes trucked in from a manufacturing site at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The building, which will have 181 units of affordable housing, will be completed in the summer of 2014, the paper reported.

Although it’s not really a neighborhood, the area around Atlantic Yards was highlighted in the first round of Curbed NY’s 2012 Curbed Cup, in which 16 areas vie for honors as the best New York City neighborhood of the year. The post highlights the Barclays Center as an anchor, soon to be followed by a residential tower called “B2.” While you vote on Curbed’s poll, take some extra time to fill out our Barclays Center poll.

Looking to get out this weekend with your family and get some holiday shopping done too? You might want to try The Free Marketplace. There will be artisan goods, workshops, food trucks and more. What makes this market special? It will have a dedicated space for children and families to relax, do some activities and have a bite or two of candy. To check out the market, go to 905 Atlantic Avenue on Dec. 16, between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

At least seven construction subcontractors that helped build the Barclays Center are on the city’s caution list for past problems, DNAinfo reported. The article lists firms busted for bribery, fraud and environmental violations from sites the companies worked, excluding work at Atlantic Yards. Private developer Forest City Ratner has not officially responded to the findings, according to the article.

Did you notice a for-sale sign on the $10 million mansion on 81 Hanson Place this weekend? Artist David Salle‘s more than 10,000-square-foot former schoolhouse home is officially on the market, the New York Daily News reported. The place is a steal when compared to equal square footage in Manhattan, according to the article.

You’ve got ’til the end of the week to see The Nutcracker at BAM. The classic holiday ballet is running until Dec. 16 at the Howard Gilman Opera House. That should give you plenty of time to have Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies stuck in your head for a week or two before Christmas.

Were you out bargain hunting on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, or are you more of a Buy Nothing Day type? You may have thought you were out of the woods when it comes to arbitrary shopping days, but not so fast. There’s still “Mobile Tuesday” to get through. A Brooklyn-based shopping Web site by the same name is trying to resurrect the idea, which failed in 2008, according to New York Business Journal. Is it just us or are you ready to get back to ordinary, average days of the week, locals?

We hope you all said your farewells to Cake Man Raven‘s red velvet cake, because the 12-year-old bakery closed for good yesterday. Owner Raven Davis III recently told DNAinfo.comthat Fort Greene rents were just too high and that his focus was on a new business venture called Cakeville USA, on Atlantic Avenue in East New York. We would say something about a silver lining in fewer calories being available locally, but really we’re just sad.

Francisco DaumA beautiful red-orange sunset helped us usher in a weekend with some huge swings in temperature.

Good morning, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

We’ve heard lots of complaints from locals who say helicopters, loud traffic and other issues have impacted the neighborhood negatively since the Barclays Center opened. If you’re one of those dealing with the problems, the Atlantic Yards Quality of Life Committee’s first meeting is tomorrow night, Oct. 16, at 6:30 p.m. in Brooklyn Borough Hall at 209 Joralemon Street.

If you’re looking for some thing to do between Halloween and Thanksgiving, we got word that a musical group is performing in the ‘hood that you won’t want to miss. A Potpourri of Song, will present six musicians’ talents at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on Nov. 11 at 5:30 p.m., according to one of the performers, Mark Victor Smith. A suggested $20 donation will go to a local charity, Mr. Smith said.

Now that the Barclays Center is open, we can enjoy this amazing time-lapse video of the arena being built from the ground up, courtesy of the webcam network EarthCam.

Here’s the rest of the day’s news:

A woman fell onto the Manhattan-bound N/R subway tracks at the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station yesterday morning, Fort Greene Patch reported. She was rescued by brave straphangers, the blog reported, and taken to the Brooklyn Hospital Center for treatment.

My Brooklyn Baby, a baby and toddler boutique shop located at 692 Fulton Street, turns one next week. To celebrate the anniversary, My Brooklyn Baby will host a month of events, including a birthday party on Oct. 8. New parents looking for tips on using cloth diapers and crocheting baby blankets, take note: workshops focusing on each subject are scheduled for Oct. 16 and Oct. 22, respectively.

The city Department of Transportation’s controversial Citi Bike bike-sharing program, which put 600 bike racks on the streets of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, has residents up in arms. But kiosks are not coming down, New York City Council Member Letitia James told more than 100 neighborhood residents at a raucous town hall meeting last night.

Get news about Fort Greene and Clinton Hill in our daily roundup, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s summer slate of youth-oriented programs and the third annual Art of Brooklyn Film Festival coming to St. Joseph’s College in Clinton Hill.

In today’s daily post, you’ll find news on the spring opening of the Fort Greene Artisan Market, a Pratt Institute student artwork display at a Gagosian Gallery in Manhattan and a new recording studio in the nabe.

In this crime report, locals told police that their belongings were stolen from cars and trucks, their homes were burglarized and their bank accounts were used in unauthorized ways. Also, disputes between significant others resulted in violence and robberies last week. The trend of robberies on the B38 bus continued last week, with another incident on May 4 marking the tenth such robbery in the precinct this year so far.

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The Local provides news, information, entertainment and informed conversation about the things that matter to you, your neighbors and your family, from bloggers and citizens who live, work and create in your community. It is run by students and faculty of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, in collaboration with The New York Times, which provides supervision to assure that the blog remains impartial, reporting-based, thorough and rooted in Times standards.